Illinois Gov. Pritzker signs $45 billion construction bill

On June 28, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signedRebuild Illinois into law, the most robust capital plan in the state history and the first in nearly a decade.

The plan will pour $45 billion into construction projects to build and upgrade roads, bridges, railways, universities, early childhood centers and state facilities like the crime lab and veterans’ homes over the next six years, creating and supporting an estimated 540,000 jobs.

House Bill 62 calls for investing $33.2 billion on transportation projects; $3.5 billion on education; $1 billion on environment/conservation; $420 million on broadband deployment; and $1.8 billion on economic and community development.

“With this historic $45 billion capital plan, we’re fixing decades-long problems, creating good jobs, improving communities for the next generation – and doing it together, across party lines,” Gov. Pritzker said in a statement.

“The Rebuild Illinois plan transforms our state’s approach to transportation infrastructure, finally treating our roads, bridges, and railways like 21st century investments and not relics of the past. We’re also making critical investments in our higher education institutions, our crime lab and veterans’ homes, early childhood centers, and expanding broadband access to communities across Illinois. With these investments, we’re creating and supporting hundreds of thousands of new jobs in our state. This is more than an infrastructure plan. This is a job creation plan the likes of which our state has never seen,” the governor added.